Training Program

Compilers of national accounts statistics employed by agencies responsible for official national accounts data

Participants should have a degree in economics or statistics, or equivalent experience.

This course, presented by the Statistics Department, covers theoretical and practical aspects in the compilation of national accounts statistics based on the conceptual framework of the System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA). The course consists of lectures covering methodological and compilation issues of the 2008 SNA and workshops consisting of practical exercises in compiling the accounts. The main aim of the course is to train participants in the compilation of annual gross domestic product both at current prices and in volume terms using the production and expenditure approaches, in support of better policy-making and surveillance. The course starts with an overview of the system of national accounts, presenting the sequence of accounts for transactions and other flows as well as balance sheets, with a focus on the framework of the 2008 SNA. It covers the main concepts involving transactions, other economic flows, stocks, institutional units, classifications, and main macroeconomic aggregates measured by the system. The main lectures and workshops include: sessions on the production account covering the definition and measurement of output, intermediate consumption, and value added; valuation issues; and the treatment of particular industries; source data and issues in the compilation of GDP by production and expenditure approaches; deflators and derivation of volume measures of GDP; specific issues related to goods and services transactions, including supply and use framework, inventory valuation adjustment, consumption of fixed capital, non-observed and informal economy, global supply chains, and the digital economy. Emphasis is also placed on sharing country experiences among the participants.